Allen missed the entire second half of New England's Divisional Round win with a shoulder injury, but managed to practice on a limited basis this week. The Patriots didn't sign a punter, so Allen is fully expected to play in Sunday's AFC Championship. Sat, Jan 18, 2014 10:05:00 PM

Allen was banged up on a botched punt snap in the second quarter of Saturday night's Divisional Round win over the Colts. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Allen has likely avoided any broken bones. We should know the full extent of the injury by this afternoon. Sun, Jan 12, 2014 10:00:00 AM

Patriots P Ryan Allen exited Saturday's Divisional Round game against the Colts with a shoulder injury.

Allen was injured on a botched punt snap near the end of the first half. The play resulted in a safety. Allen handled the ensuing free kick, but then headed to the locker room. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski is handling punt duties in Allen's absence. Sat, Jan 11, 2014 09:36:00 PM

Depth Charts

U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman ordered Tom Brady and Roger Goodell to appear in court for two conferences on Aug. 12 and 19.

Berman requested the two sides "engage in comprehensive, good-faith settlement discussions prior to the conference on August 12." Though the judge did not mention the NFL's and NFLPA's joint request to have the case resolved by Sept. 4, the immediacy of the conferences suggests a resolution could be handed down quickly. Hopefully this ridiculous episode will come to an end before the season begins.

Blount was placed on the active/NFI list to start training camp after failing his conditioning test. His appearance in practice on Saturday suggests he passed the second time around. Blount should dominate the Patriots' early-down work once he returns from suspension in Week 2.

It's possible this is only a day-to-day injury after LaFell donned a protective boot on his foot during OTA season. He shed the boot in July, so it's quite conceivable the Patriots are just easing LaFell in. The fact that LaFell is a prominent fantasy player makes his situation worth monitoring.